Anna Deavere Smith brings her family history to the stage with ‘Basil Biggs’
This preview, based only on the episode notes, points to a conversation about how Anna Deavere Smith’s signature documentary-theater approach meets a deeply personal family story. The episode centers on her new work ‘Basil Biggs,’ her ancestor’s role at Gettysburg, and how ‘Finding Your Roots’ helped spark the project.
If you’re curious how a major theater artist connects public history with personal ancestry, this episode looks especially promising. Based on the show notes, Anna Deavere Smith discusses a new turn in her work: after decades of building theater from other people’s exact words, she is now drawing inspiration from her own family’s past. The focal point is **‘Basil Biggs,’** a story about Smith’s great-great-grandfather, described here as a free Black man who reburied Union soldiers at Gettysburg and prepared the ground for Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. That alone suggests the conversation may sit at the intersection of theater, memory, Black history, and the making of American identity. The notes also indicate that Smith talks with Tonya Mosley about how **‘Finding Your Roots’** led her to this story. For listeners interested in creative process, that could be a compelling angle: not just the historical subject itself, but how an artist discovers the thread that becomes a new work. Another intriguing thread is Smith’s description of herself as **“an Americanist.”** If that idea interests you, this episode may offer insight into how she sees her art in relation to the country’s history and contradictions. This is a preview based on the published notes, not a recap of the full audio. But from those notes alone, the episode seems likely to appeal to listeners who enjoy theater interviews, family-history discoveries, and conversations about how overlooked lives shape national stories.
About this episode
For more than 50 years, Anna Deavere Smith has pioneered a type of theater built from real people's words, interviewing hundreds of Americans and then performing their words verbatim. Now she's telling a story from her own family with ‘Basil Biggs.’ It’s about her great-great-grandfather, a free Black man, who reburied the Union dead at Gettysburg and prepared the ground for Lincoln's most famous speech. Smith spoke with Tonya Mosley about how ‘Finding Your Roots’ led her to this story and why she sees herself as an Americanist. <br/><br/>See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>